LSU Law News
April 2010
New Faculty Appointed
April 29, 2010Chancellor Jack M. Weiss has announced the appointment of two new faculty members to fill important positions at the Law Center. Christopher J. Tyson will join the Law Center as Assistant Professor of Law in fall 2010. Tyson has worked with Jones Walker LLP in Baton Rouge since 2006. He has specialized in real estate matters, urban planning, land use, and oil and gas mineral land development. Recently, Tyson served as President of the Baton Rouge Capital Area Transit System Board of Commissioners. Tyson graduated with a B.A. in Architecture, with a minor in Business Administration, from Howard University. He…
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Gene W. Lafitte Named Distinguished Alumnus of the Year
April 28, 2010Gene W. Lafitte, a 1952 graduate of the Law Center, has been named the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year, announced Chancellor Jack M. Weiss during the spring meeting of the Law Center Alumni Board of Trustees. “This is the highest professional honor awarded by the LSU Law Center, and Gene is extremely deserving of this honor. He has been a leader in the legal profession in Louisiana and beyond for decades. Just as importantly, Gene is universally respected as a person of unquestioned integrity.” Lafitte was nominated by long-time friend, John P. Laborde (’49), who was also present for the…
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LSU Law Review Banquet Held
April 28, 2010LSU Law Review Volume 70 Board of Editors Front row (seated) l to r: Casey Faucon (executive senior editor), Christopher Odinet (editor-in-chief), Matthew Juneau (articles editor), Gina Palermo (senior editor) Back row (standing) l to r: Carmen Hebert (senior editor), Kelly Brilleaux (senior editor), Keith Fernandez (senior editor), Sarah Perkins (managing editor), Sarah Cable (production editor) More than 40 Law Review members and just as many Law Review alumni, professors, and guests were in attendance at the LSU Law Review Annual Dinner and Banquet held April 10, 2010 at Juban’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge. Editor-in-chief Chris Odinet welcomed the guests…
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ABA Re-accreditation Team Visits LSU Law
April 28, 2010On March 24–27, the Law Center completed its site evaluation process for re-accreditation by the American Bar Association (ABA). Academic institutions must be reaccredited every seven academic years, according to standards established by the ABA’s Section on Legal Education and the Association of American Law Schools. An extensive Faculty Self Study was conducted by the faculty and administration prior to the visit. In addition, a Site Evaluation Questionnaire provided additional information to the team of evaluators. Topics explored during the three-day site visit included Students and Student Activities, Faculty, Program of Legal Studies, Finances, Information Resources, Facilities, Administration, as…
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Pulitzer-Prize Winning Journalist Steve Coll Engages Law Center Audiences
April 28, 2010Steve Coll, a provocative investigative journalist and Pulitzer-prize winning author, provided an “on the ground assessment” of the current war and political situation in Afghanistan at events held with students, faculty, staff, and alumni on Friday, April 16. Coll is the author of numerous books, including Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan and Bin Laden, and most recently, The Bin Ladens: Arabian Family in the American Century. He spoke at the Law Center and to alumni at the annual Chancellor’s Council dinner. The events commemorated the 150 year LSU Sesquicentennial. Michael A. Patterson (‘71), Chair of the…
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LSU Law Center Hosts Symposium on Transfer of Juveniles to Adult Court
April 28, 2010“Where is justice?” asked Gerald Gault, as he ended his interview during a symposium on juvenile justice at the LSU Law Center on Friday, March 19. Gault was the petitioner in the 1967 landmark U.S. Supreme Court case In Re Gault that revolutionized the field of juvenile law. In its ruling in the Gault case, the Court extended the right to counsel and other due process protections to juveniles during delinquency proceedings. Gault, at age 15, was sentenced to state custody until his 21st birthday following proceedings that denied him access to an attorney or application of rules of evidence. …
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Moot Court and Trial Advocacy Programs Gain National Recognition
April 27, 2010Seventeen of the LSU Law Center’s 26 Moot Court and Trial Advocacy teams received either team or individual awards in competitions held throughout the United States this school year. The teams and individual members were recognized at the April 8 annual awards banquet held in downtown Baton Rouge. “It was a banner year for our programs, and I am enormously proud of our students,” said Chancellor Jack Weiss. “There is no doubt that our programs are growing—not only in the number of students who participate—but also in the role that the programs play in defining the LSU Law experience. The…
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Professor Paul Baier Voted Professor of the Year by Class of 2010
April 27, 2010LSU Law Professor Paul Baier, George M. Armstrong, Jr. Professor of Law, was voted Professor of the Year by the Law Center Class of 2010. His students characterize Professor Baier as an extraordinary teacher who uses extraordinary teaching methods. The students honored Baier at a reception held Thursday, April 15 at the Law Center and presented him with an inscribed plaque. Chancellor Jack Weiss introduced Baier and commented, “There is only one Paul Baier and all of you will agree, there will never be another” bringing cheers and applause to the more than 50 students, colleagues, family and friends in…
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LSU Law Library Ranked #5 Best in the Nation
April 27, 2010The LSU Law library has been ranked among the top five best law libraries in the nation. The National Jurist magazine rankings were released in late March, and the LSU Law Center’s top ranking placed it ahead of many elite public and private law schools. A photo of the library also appeared in the article titled, What Makes a Great Library. The rankings used a variety of factors, including volumes, titles, number of seats per student, number of students per librarian, and the hours of operation. The editors compared all 198 ABA-approved law schools based upon the most recent data…
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S. Gene Fendler Named President of Alumni Board of Trustees; Executive Committee Also Appointed
April 27, 2010S. Gene Fendler of New Orleans has been named President of the LSU Law Center Alumni Board of Trustees by Chancellor Jack M. Weiss. Fendler, of Liskow and Lewis, is a long-time member of the alumni advisory board, and he will serve a two-year term as President, beginning Spring 2010. “We are all fortunate to have as able a person as Gene Fendler to carry on with the leadership of our Board. Gene is someone who cares deeply about the LSU Law Center, and he is anxious to move the Board into new and interesting directions,” said Chancellor Weiss. “He…
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E.D. White Lectures Address Higher Education Funding and The Case of Louisiana
April 21, 2010This year’s E.D. White Lectures, jointly sponsored by the Law Center and the LSU Department of Political Science, featured nationally-noted scholar of higher education, Professor Michael McLendon of Vanderbilt University. McLendon, Associate Professor of Higher Education and Public Policy, and Associate Dean and Chief of Staff of Peabody College at Vanderbilt, also directs the Program in Higher Education Leadership and Policy and the Master’s of Public Policy (MPP) program. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in state politics and policy, organization and governance of higher education, and leadership. McLendon spoke on Mission, Markets & States: Developments Reshaping American Public Higher…
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Law Center Retains Top 100 Ranking in 2011 U.S. News Best Graduate Schools
April 20, 2010The LSU Law Center remained solidly positioned among the top 100 American law schools in rankings released on April 15. The 2011 U.S. News and World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings placed the Center at 80th nationally, down slightly from the previous rankings in 2010. “Although I’d rather have moved up 5 places than down 5 places , it’s a very small move,” commented Chancellor Jack Weiss. “Our raw score went down by only one point. We are still solidly placed among the nation’s top 100 law schools.” Although some 188 law schools in the nation are reviewed by…
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